


Finding You

by QueenCarol



Category: The Walking Dead (TV), carzekiel - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Carzekiel, F/M, season 1 rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24667753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenCarol/pseuds/QueenCarol
Summary: Sometimes someone finding you can be the worst thing that could happen.  Sometimes it’s what let’s you sleep through the night.Warning: strong language, non-graphic violence and racism.
Relationships: Ezekiel/Carol Peletier
Kudos: 6





	Finding You

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character, part of script or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.
> 
> In no way is the author claiming ownage of any of the characters nor is there any economical/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.
> 
> No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Original characters are property of the author.
> 
> NOTE: While this story follows some events from canon they were done by Rick. For the purpose of this story, Ezekiel is the one making those actions!
> 
> Note: This story touches upon a very real issue that still permeates our current society; racism. For centuries, racism has been a cancer in society that has shaped the life of many generations as well as claimed hundreds of innocent lives. My intent by including it in the work of fiction is never to romanticize racism, but instead to accurately portray a moment in US history as well as the challenges and struggles that Carol and Ezekiel would have experienced as a bi-racial couple in our society. I must warn that strong language, mentions of violence, and topics such as segregation and disenfranchisement may be touched upon in this story. I stand by my brothers and sisters in the fight to eradicate racism and pledge to learn from its painful history. I urge my readers to do everything they can to learn how to identify racism in all of its forms and make proper changes so that we can truly prevent our history from painfully repeating itself.

**  
Carol  
**

“You thought you’d gotten rid of me, didn’t you, bitch?”

Ed’s voice washes over her like a wave of ice-cold water that leaves her shivering in fear. It’s the fact that she hasn’t had to look over her back in years or perhaps that she’d been busy with the kid’s schooling to realize that he was creeping towards her, that rocks her to the core.

Ed Peletier is crouched down behind her, his hot, foul breath hitting the side of her face. 

Carol quickly turns to look at her daughter who has gone pale white. Sophia’s hazel eyes are wide open and her chin is already trembling. The hand that holds her pencil shakes almost imperceptibly against the piece of paper with her math problems half completed. Besides her, young Carl is staring at them with a look of confusion. He probably hadn’t heard the thread that both Carol and Sophia had or if he did he has no idea the danger that both of them are in.

She needs to get them out of harm's way.

“Carl?” She calls for his attention all the while hoping that her voice doesn’t give away her fear. “I think school lessons are over with for today. Can you and Sophia go help the women with the laundry?”

She knows that if there is one thing that Carl hates more than doing school work is doing chores like washing clothes or helping cook, but all the women have gone down there and Shane, their leader while the rest of the men are on a run, is there as well. There is no other place safer for them.

“But Carol,” Carl instantly whines, as she knew he was going to do. “That’s boring! Can’t we go do something else?”

“Carl-“ She tries to warn him to do as she says but he cuts her off almost instantly.

“Please? We could go fishing or… catching frogs!” He begs.

“Did you not hear her boy?” Ed’s voice grows louder as he leans back to tower over them. 

Carl tilts his head to the side, his eyes narrowing. Carol knows he’s a smart boy and is able to read people. She can only hope that he’ll be able to read what she’s silently begging him to do; take Sophia and get to safety.

“Who are you?” He asks as he stands from the metal chair he’d been using. He squares his shoulder and tilts his head back in defiance. 

“I’m her husband boy.”

Carl narrows his eyes and quickly looks around, searching for something that Carol knows he’s not going to find. “Where is the tiger?”

“Tiger?” Ed asks in a confused tone. 

A hand lands on Carol’s shoulder and squeezes tightly. The pain explodes on her shoulder as he digs his fingernails through her blouse. He’s done this before, its Ed’s way of telling her that she better get rid of whoever is wasting their time or she will pay the consequences. Carol knows she’s going to pay either way.

“Carl,” she repeats with a sharper tone. Her eyes send a look his way that every mother has been able to create at some point and which every kid knows; the look that says you better do as you are told. Carl seems to know it very well.

“Fine.” He mumbles as he pushes the chair back. “Come on Sophia. As soon as my dad comes back from the run, I’m sure he’ll let us go hunt frogs.”

Sophia mechanically follows the young boy, her fearful eyes never looking away from the face of her father. For a second Carol breathes in relief as her daughter takes her first steps away from danger but her stomach quickly drops when Ed tightens his hold on her shoulder once more and extends his other hand towards Sophia.

“No girl. You stay here with Carol and me.”

Carl quickly turns to look at Ed. “Carol said-“

“I don’t care what my ungrateful wife said!” Ed bellows to him. “LEAVE!” 

Carl jumps startled but quickly takes a couple of steps back before turning and running in the direction of the water. 

“Come with me, bitch!” Ed uses all of his strength to push her off the chair she’d been using. 

Carol lands on the floor with a gasp, a small cloud of dust gathering around her. “MAMA!” Sophia cries out. Her small feet rush her to her mother’s side but doesn’t get to her side before Ed is pulling Carol back up by her shoulder-length hair, uncaring if it hurts her or not. Carol stumbles and falls against his chest and belly, his face appearing right beside her as his foul breath fans over her face.

“You will come with me, understood?”

“Let Sophia stay, please.” She begs with a trembling voice. Ed pulls at her hair again and Carol cries out painfully. “Please, she’s just a little girl. Please!”

“NO!” Ed bellows. “She belongs to me. She comes too. Start walking NOW!”

“Please, Ed.”

“Fucking bitch! If you don’t start moving I will punch your daughter so hard her neck will snap!”

Carol trembles in fear, her eyes quickly filling with unshed tears. The fear of her daughter being hurt paralyzed her, freezes her so completely that she can only stand unmoving. Ed takes advantage of it and turns her around to press his dirty lips against hers. She practically gaps as his tongue pushes past her lips. When he pulls back he only does so to backhand her across the cheek. “You are mine, Carol Peletier. Never fucking forget it.”

She has no option but to walk in the direction that he pushes her, Sophia plastered to her side.

**  
Sophia  
**

Her Mama is trembling. She can feel it as she stays pressed to her side, stumbling over her own feet and the uprooted branches they find in their way. Sophia glances up at her mother to see her tear-streaked face and her eyes wide open like a deer caught between freedom and the hunter’s rifle. She hasn’t seen her like this in the almost four-years they’d been free of Ed’s violence and it scares her deeply.

“Mama?” She whimpers which prompt Carol to look down at her without stopping their walk. “I’m scared.”

“I know, sweetheart.” Her mama whispers back at her, wrapping her arms tighter around Sophia’s tiny frame.

“STOP THE FUCKING TALKING!” Ed demands as he pushes her mother from the back. “KEEP WALKING!”

She tries not to cry, to swallow down the sobs as she buries her face to her mother’s side and continues walking. She wishes, not for the first time, that her Papa was with them so that Ed would have never gotten near them and they’d be safe in her Papa’s arms. He’s not there though and she has to be strong and brave for her mama and herself.

She tries not to stumble as they continue walking but she struggles to walk on the uneven ground. Ed continues to push them around, further and further into the woods beside the quarry. With each step, Sophia is aware they are going further and further away from safety but there is nothing she can do. She knows that anything she does will result in Ed’s fury being directed at her mother. The last thing she wants to do is get her mother in trouble.

“Keep moving, bitch!” He says as he pushes his fist against her mother’s back.

Her mother tightens her arm around her, squeezing her forearm. Sophia continues before her mother squeezes her arm again. Something tells her that her Ma wants her to look at her. Carefully, as to not alert Ed of what she is doing, Sophia tilts her head up, her hazel eyes quickly finding her mother’s blue. 

“Soph,” she whispers. “I’m going to need you to be very brave.”

“Mama?” Her voice is barely a whisper but her Mama hears it and squeezes her arm again. 

“When I tell you to run, Sophia, you run as fast as you can.”

“No, Mama.” She whimpers. Sophia knows what her mother is about to do because she’s done it before; her Ma will create a distraction so that she can run to safety, her Ma will put her life in danger so she can have a chance to escape. If her Mama survives, she will be beaten and bloodied all in an attempt to push her out of harm's way.

“Yes, Sophia.” Her mother urges. “You have to, baby.”

“SHUT UP, BITCH!” Ed grabs a hold of her mother’s hair and pulls her head back making Carol stumble.

Sophia’s eyes lock with her mother’s once more. She can see the defiance in her mother’s eyes even as she tries to catch a glimpse of Ed, even as her eyes fill with terror.

She closes her eyes for a second and quickly makes up her mind. Whenever her mother gives the signal, Sophia will run.

**  
Ezekiel  
**

From the moment he left Carol and Sophia’s side, Ezekiel has felt nothing but the deepest fear. The world has turned upside down; the dead are walking and attacking the living, everyone who can has abandoned the city, and Atlanta has been bombed. 

Atlanta has been bombed.

He needs to find his wife and child. That’s all he can think about. He should have never left their side to begin with but Carol had insisted and Sophia had been so worried for Shiva so he’d made the very hard decision of leaving them in the middle of a packed roadway to go back to try and save their beloved tiger. With a kiss to Sophia’s forehead and a kiss to Carol’s lips, Ezekiel had promised he’d be back as soon as he could and promised to meet them in the spot he’d left them.

The bombing had prevented him from keeping his promise. He’d been so close to reaching the zoo where Shiva was being rehabilitated for her broken leg when the deafening sound of a bomb made him quickly turn. He’d only managed to see the orange glow against the dark of the night before the expanding wave had knocked him off his feet and slammed him against a brick wall leaving him unconscious. If it wasn’t for the family that had found him, Ezekiel knows he would have been dead.

He woke up two weeks later with a pounding headache but extremely thankful to be alive. Morgan, the man who’d saved him, had filled him in what had happened right before and after the blast and had tended to the burns left on his skin by the hot air of the expanding wave. It would have been easy for Ezekiel to simply stay and heal completely but he had a promise to keep and he needed to go back to his girls.

At his insistence to leave and because of lack of firearms, Morgan had given him a staff which hid a sword. He’d explained sound attracted the death and that he’d probably have a better chance to go back to his family with it. Ezekiel had thanked him then set on his way to find Shiva.

The zoo had been completely abandoned when he got there. Whoever had been the last to leave must have set the animals free because all the habitats appeared to be empty. He’d carefully walked, fearful at every moment to encounter a dangerous and scared animal. Once again he’d been lucky to reach the tiger habitat with no sign of danger. When he didn’t see any of the tigers, he’d decided to breach it and go to the back of the habitat where he knew Shiva was being kept. 

He’d found her laying down in the middle of her enclosure and had carefully approached to set her free. Her eyes had followed him with each step, her tail languidly swishing back and forth as if she had been waiting for him. She probably had

Shiva had been injured almost a year ago and he’d been the one in charge of tending to her through her recovery. He’d always favored the tiger but with this injury he’d created a bond that he couldn’t explain, a bond that seemed to extend to his wife and child, which allowed them to approach her and touch her. He was always aware that she was a majestic animal who had the upper hand against him so he treated her with the respect she deserved at all times. Coming to Atlanta had been an extended trip his family had decided to take in order to help Shiva since the rehabilitation expert was there. It had helped incredibly but it was now exposing them to something that Ezekiel couldn’t control.

With Shiva by his side, Ezekiel had made his way out of Atlanta slowly. The sword that Morgan had given him had helped when they encountered a random walker but when the walkers had outnumbered him Shiva had played her part and taken over. For a moment he had felt victorious, that he would be able to make it back to his girls safe and sound, but all to soon his luck had changed and he’d found himself in front of the largest hoard he could have ever encountered.

No sword, no tiger even, would help him make it pull out of this alive.

He doesn’t quite know how they made it up the military tank and away from the hoard. He also doesn’t know how he managed to convince Shiva to follow him but somehow they had ended up there, completely surrounded with no hope to escape.

“I fear this is our demise, my dear friend.” He declared as he turned towards the tiger.

The static of a military radio had seemed to pierce through the air, louder than the growling of the walkers and Shiva. He dove into the open tank confused, trying to find the source of the sound. He’d fumbled with a corpse in an attempt to get to the radio, crossing his brain with the gifted sword. He had known it was hopeless but he had to try, maybe someone was listening.

A clearly young voice had interrupted the static before he could reach the receiver. A grin had erupted right away, a laugh escaping and reverberating all throughout the tank. Hope had come back for the hopeless.

“Hey asshole,” the voice had said. “Is that a tiger?”

The voice turned out to be a young Korean boy by the name of Glenn who had not only saved them and helped them get out of Atlanta but had offered the shelter that his group could provide. Ezekiel had thanked him profusely but had insisted that he needed to find his girls before he could even think of finding a safe place to stay. 

Still, Glenn wouldn’t let him go.

“Where did you leave them? Your girls?” Glenn asks. 

“We traveled on one of the roads out of Atlanta,” Ezekiel explains as another wave of helplessness washes over him. “You must forgive me, friend, but I am not from this city so telling you the exact road would be near to impossible.”

“You know how to get there? Maybe what’s around it?” The young man continued questioning. There is no doubt in Ezekiel’s mind that he intends to continue aiding him. “I used to deliver pizza’s and I know my way around.”

“I believe I could guide you there.” He’s always been a visual guy and while he isn’t from Atlanta he does remember the way they had taken out of the city before getting stuck with all the others attempting to leave the city. “Carol said there was a quarry nearby.”

The name seems to spike Glenn’s interest. He quickly looks up from where he’d been trying to jump-start the pickup truck Ezekiel had decided to use to transport Shiva and stared at him with an open mouth.

“Carol? You said Carol?” He asks. A goofy grin appears on his lips as he rocks from one foot to the other. “Brunette shoulder length hair? Freckles all over her face? Bluest eyes you’ve ever seen? Kind all-around?”

Ezekiel chuckles, unable to pretend that he wouldn’t describe his wife in that exact way. Excitement mixed with hope bubbles within him. This young boy has not only saved him but is about to give him back his whole life.

“Does she a blonde-haired daughter that always stays at her side?”

“That would be our Sophia.” He declares proudly. 

Glenn lets out an excited laugh before hitting his fist against then the open palm of his other hand in a surprised exclamation. “Yes! They are in our camp! At the quarry!”

“Then lead the way, my friend. The sooner I have my girls in my arms, the better.”

**  
Sophia  
**

The air is tense around them as Ed continues holding her mother against him. His hand comes up to catch her Mama’s chin but once he’s caught hold off her face he digs his fingers into her lower cheeks and jaws, distorting it as he applies pressure.

“Didn’t I tell you to be quiet, bitch?” He grunts near her mother’s face.

“Please! Let her go! Please!” Sophia pleads to him, her hand reaching to hold on to his arm only to pull down in an attempt to make him let go. 

Ed only let's go long enough to push Sophia out of the way before going back to the exact spot his hand had been on. Sophia lands on her side, her arms and hands attempting to cushion her fall but not being very successful. She feels a rock embed itself on her elbow. She quickly pushes away the sting of her skin breaking and scrambles back on her feet. She’s lost a shoe but there is no way she’s gonna reach for it, she has to help her mother.

She’s about to launch herself towards Ed, fully intending to scratch, bite and do whatever she needs to do to help her mother when her Mama beats her to the punch. She watches in awe as her mother raises a leg and her foot then quickly slams it down on Ed’s foot. The pain is enough that he lets go of her long enough for her mother to turn, grab hold of his shoulders, then raise her knee up into his groin. 

“BITCH!” Ed exclaims whole he doubles over, falling and taking her mother with her.

The air seems to be knocked out of her mother’s chest for a second or two. She tries to think about what to do and decides that helping her mother get rid of Ed’s weight while he is still in pain is the best thing to do. Her mother, though, has a different idea.

“RUN, SOPHIA!” She exclaims as soon as she catches her breath. “RUN!”

“Mama!”

“RUN! GO!” 

The last thing she sees before turning is Ed regaining control, raising his hand, and punching her mother.

She runs as fast as her legs will carry her through the area they had just walked through. Branches from low trees and bushes scrap her legs and arms but she keeps running, looking over her shoulder only to check that Ed isn’t running behind her. She can hear her mother’s screams lower in volume but she continues running, half afraid that her mother is dying. Her heart is beating hard against her chest, her lungs burning and her eyes flooding over with tears but she pushes on. 

A root from a nearby tree tangle on her foot and makes her fall. She cries out as her face slams against the grass, her vision going blurry. She cradles her face with her hand, covering the spot where she knows a bruise will soon form, but pushes herself up from the ground with her other hand. She has to get back to the quarry as quickly as she can so that she can warn the others so that they can help. Her mother needs her help and she’s not going to fail her.

“HELP!” Her voice sounds broken and not that loud even though she tries with all her might to scream. “HELP ME!”

When she clears the end of the trees, she slides on the loose gravel but doesn’t fall. “HELP!” She repeats as she re-directs herself and starts running towards the blue body of water where she knows most of the camp is currently at. “PLEASE HELP!”

She’s only gotten a third down the path when she hears the sound of boots hitting lose dirt as they run towards her. Carl must have already alerted them to something possibly being wrong because when the adults reach her Shane bypasses her completely. He seems to be loading his gun, T-dog moving right behind him with his own rifle.

“Sophia!” Jacky is the first one to actually stop to talk to her. “Where is he? Where is your daddy?”

Sophia shakes her head right away. It doesn’t sit right with her that they are confusing Ed with the loving man who has helped heal both her mother and her own broken soul. “He’s not... my daddy.” She declares between hard intakes of breath. “It’s Ed! He’s got... my Mama! He’s hurting... her!”

That seems to catch Shane’s attention because she hears him double back and feels his hand on her shoulder as he turns her to look at him. “Soph, Sophia, I need you to tell me where he took her.”

“Into the... forest!” She points a finger in the direction she had come. “We went straight.” 

With a general direction of where Ed has taken her mom, Shane and T-Dog quickly move to track them. When Sophia turns to look towards Jacky, she finds the concerned faces of most of the women. “Stay here with them, Dale. Make sure no one approaches.”

Unable to stop the sudden trembling of her scared body, Sophia allows Jacky to pull her against her. She sobs against the black woman’s chest all the while begging for her mother’s life. “She’s going to be fine, sweetheart. T-dog and Shane will find her. They will bring her back.”

“He’s hurting her,” she sobs.

“Who is Ed, sweetheart?” She hears Andrea ask as she stands beside her and Jacky.

It takes her a second to remember that they don’t know about her and her mother’s past. All they know is her mother is married to her daddy and that they are happy. They know that her daddy had to leave to go look for their tiger, even if they don’t believe it, and that he and her Mama had agreed to find each other afterward. “Ed... Ed is my father. He was married to my... my Mama but he was always hurting her, punching her and screaming at her.”

“See, mom? I told you he wasn’t her dad.” She hears Carl tell his mother who holds him against her as if they were the ones being attacked. 

“We ran away from him. Mama got a divorce and met my daddy when he came in searching for a book at the library.” She explains further, wanting them to completely understand this wasn’t the loving man she called daddy. 

“He must have been watching the camp and saw her,” Andrea says under her breath. 

“Please don’t let him hurt her,” Sophia begs as she pulls away from Jacky. “He’ll kill her!”

“No sweetheart, he’s not going to kill her. Shane will take care of it.” Lori reassures her.

Sophia’s not sure whether to believe her or not. She knows Shane is a cop and that he is armed, but she doesn’t quite trust him like Carl seems to do. If he does find her mother, she hopes that both he and T-dog will be there on time. She feels wicked for even thinking it, but she also hopes that they will scare Ed enough that he will leave them alone.

“What if he doe-“

She never finishes her question before she’s interrupted by the sound of a truck approaching their settlement. Her eyes go wide in fear as Jacky quickly uses her body to protect her. Scared and crying, Sophia presses her face to Jacky’s back and prays for her mother’s life.

The sound of a door slamming makes her jump and tighten her arms around Jacky’s waist. She risks a quick glance at Carl who is being held back even tighter by Lori, a hand over his mouth. She has no way of knowing, not even with his expression if the person who had arrived is friend or foe.

“You guys are not going to believe who I found!” Glenn’s voice makes Sophia relax almost instantly. She tries to move to Jacky’s side but she prevents Sophia from doing so. Someone is with him, someone they don’t know.

Gasps coming from everyone in the camp are the next thing she hears. Lori pulls Carl back so hard that Carl lets out a grunt in protest before he manages to pull his mother’s hand away from his mouth. “Is that..?” He seems shocked as he stares ahead.

Curiosity takes over Sophia, squashing whatever fear her body has left. She needs to know what they are seeing and she needs to know now.

“Mom! That’s a tiger!” Carl finally finds his words before he points ahead of them.

Sophia blinks once, then once more, before finally pulling herself away from Jacky’s protective hold on her and side-steps her to see if Carl has really seen a tiger. As soon as she catches a glimpse of the orange with a black striped face, Sophia’s whole face changes from a frown to a grin. 

“Shiva,” She whispers under her breath, taking a step closer to her. 

Though she knows that Jacky’s quick hold on her shoulder is only a reaction to what she knows is a dangerous animal, Sophia quickly pushes her hand away. “It’s okay, it’s Shiva.” She explains before she starts walking in the direction of the tiger.

Shiva spots her right away, her ears turning back and forth quickly as she starts making a chuffing noise in her throat. Sophia almost wants to run to her, throw her arms around her and bury her face against her soft fur, but she knows better. She cannot act recklessly because Shiva deserves respect. 

Her patience, however, is soon rewarded as a figure she knows well rounds the back of the truck and moves to stand beside the mighty tiger. The image of her daddy stops her dead in her tracks, afraid that she’s somehow imagining him. She wants to run to him, to tell him her mother is in danger, but all her body seems to be able to do is to let the deep sobs she had been keeping at bay bubble forth. She’s suddenly back to being a scared 9 years old, terrified of Ed, needing then warmth and protection her only daddy could provide.

“Sophia, come here sweetheart.” She hears Andrea urge but she ignores her.

As if her body has suddenly found all the energy in the world, Sophia moves forward. Her legs tremble as she places one foot in front of the other as quick as she can, threatening to fold up under her. Her arms open as she runs, her whole face crumbling in tears and relief. “DADDY!”

She slams into the open arms embrace of her daddy who quickly pulls her against them, his strong arms instantly protecting her from all pain. “Daddy! Daddy!” She cries against his chest.

“I’ve got you, Soph. Daddy’s got you.” He promises as he closes his arms around her in a tight embrace before picking her up and securing her against his hip.

“I thought... I thought I... I wouldn’t see you again.” She admits between heart-wrenching sobs. Her face itches from the salt fo her tears as she rubs it against his chest hair but she doesn’t care. “You took forever!”

“I know.” She hears her father admit painfully. “But worry not, I have found you and I don’t intend to ever leave your side again. Your and your mom’s.”

“He’s got her!” She exclaims as she pulls back so that she can look into her father’s face. She hasn’t forgotten her mother or the fact that Ed has her, but seeing her Daddy has momentarily emptied her mind and now that it has slammed back it leaves her feeling guilty. “Daddy! Ed’s got Mama! He’s gonna hurt her!”

**  
Ezekiel  
**

The moment he hears that Ed has Carol, his blood run colds. It’s a good thing that he is holding his daughter, otherwise, he would have torn through the camp and the forest beside it in order to find her. Still, his shoulders square, his gaze becomes hard, and his jaw tightens. “Where?” He asks Sophia with the softest voice he can mutter at that moment as to not scare her further.

“He took us to the trees, daddy,” Sophia explains before wiggling to be let down. She must know that he has to act quickly to bring her Mama back. “She... she hit him so that I could run away. He was... he was hitting her when I left.”

Once he leaves her safely on the ground, his daughter’s eyes find his. “Daddy you have to find her!”

“I will,” He promises. He places a hand on his daughter’s chin so that she will not look away so that she can see that he’s not lying. “I will bring her home, but I need you to show me where she’s gone.”

Sophia quickly grabs his hand and starts tugging at it so that he will follow. Around them, the rest of the camp promises him that someone is already trying to find her, that he should stay in the camp. What they do not understand is that he will not rest until she is back with them but he doesn’t fault them; they don’t know him and he’s nothing but a stranger with a tiger by his side. 

“That way daddy.” Sophia declares once they’ve reached the spot she must remember. 

“Listen true, my daughter.” He quickly moves to kneel beside her, leveling himself to her height. She stares at him with big open hazel eyes full of terror but gives him a nod so he will know she’s listening. “I will find your Mama and bring her back to you, but I need to know you are safe while I’m gone. Can you promise to stay in the camp?” He asks with an urgent tone.

“I’ll stay, daddy,” Sophia promises as big fat tears slide down her face. He gently brushes them away from her cheeks before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“You can’t just go in there! Shane is already on his way, he will find her.” A tall, thin, brown-haired woman tries to assure him. 

“I will not abandon my wife when she needs me the most.” Ezekiel’s tone of voice leaves no room for discussion as he turns to face the woman head-on. He quickly unsheathes the sword making the woman gasp and though he finds no joy in having scared her he does find some kind of understanding in her eyes. Not that he needed her permission to go.

“Don’t worry, we will watch over Sophia.” A slightly older black woman promises him as she waves for Sophia to come to her. Once he sees his daughter is safe by her side, he turns towards the tiger.

“Shiva,” he directs his next words towards her. Shiva has followed them to the edge of the clearing and is already pacing back and forth. “My dear friend, help us locate Carol.”

Without a second request, Shiva quickly enters the tree line and appears to disappear. Ezekiel wastes no more time, following behind her as fast as he can. His eyes are open, focusing on everything around him for the smallest hint of where his beloved wife is. He forces himself to breathe softer so that the sound of his breathing will not dampen any sound that Carol could be making.

He feels like he’s walked forever and at the same time like he barely has started searching her. He’s not a tracker, and he knows that, but he relies on intuition and that has never failed him. Shiva has never failed him either.

A growl is the first thing that tells him they are very close. “Go, my girl.” He whispers to Shiva. The ruffling of the bush’s near him tells him that Shiva is on the move again.

He stops moving to listen carefully. The soft rumble of a man’s voice reaches him quickly. It is not a voice he recognizes so he knows it is not Ed. It has to be one of the two men that the women at the camp had advised were already on the search. Slowly, Ezekiel approaches with his sword ready to defend his wife.

“Let her go, Ed.” The man orders.

“Look, man, we just want to make sure she’s okay.” A second voice Ezekiel doesn’t recognize joins the first.

He crouches beside a bush to observe what he will be fighting against and immediately feels his chest tighten at the sight that greets him.

Carol lays sprawled on the floor unconscious. She has a bloody nose and lip as well as a half-closed eye. Above her, hovering almost maniacally, Ed takes the chance to kick her side which elicits a groan from her lips.

Immediately Ezekiel rises from the cover that the bushes provide and finds himself walking towards Ed. “Stop! Stop hurting her!”

One of the two men who had been talking to Ed turns to look at him. He is a black man, muscled but not overweight, with a kind and a worried gaze that tells him that he truly cares for Carol’s well-being. “Who are you?”

“The asshole that stole my wife!” Ed replies before quickly pulling out a knife from his belt. “You come any closer and I will kill her.”

“Drop that knife!” The white man pointing the gun at Ed's demands. “DROP IT!”

Ezekiel plants himself on the spot. He’s too far away to charge at him successfully without risking Carol’s life. Even with the added reach of the sword, he knows his chances of reaching her before Ed plunges the knife into her body is slim to none.

“I don’t think I will,” Ed sneers. “I didn’t like your kind before the world went to shit. I ain’t following your orders now.”

“Ed, please.” Ezekiel finds himself begging. He doesn’t care if it makes him look weak or pathetic, he just wants to keep his wife safe. “Please-“

“Please what?” Ed asks, his face red and his hand waving the knife around. “Please don’t kill her so she can keep being your bitch? So she can keep dragging my name through the mud? So she can keep fucking you, you-“

“Shut the fuck up, man!”

“Ed, shut up! I will fucking shoot if you don’t shut up!” The cop threatens as he takes a step closer, his gun pointed straight at him.

Ed’s jaw clenches and his nose flares. He quickly drops and catches hold of Carol’s hair, pulling at it hard to expose her neck where he places the sharp knife.

“No! No!” Ezekiel quickly puts himself between the cop and Ed, using his body to shield them. He doesn’t know how good of a shot the man is and he’s not going to put his wife in any more danger. He raises both hands, dropping the sword as he goes. “Take me. Let her go and take me.”

“Why the fuck would I take you?” Ed asks with a wicked look on his face. 

Ezekiel feels his heart drop and his mouth runs dry. He knows Ed wants nothing with him. All the man has ever wanted was to demean and hurt Carol. Killing her is his goal, the one thing he will stop at nothing for. Ezekiel knows he has to act quickly, to rush to the man, and tackle him. If he dies in the scuffle at least Carol will have a chance to be helped.

He’s about to rush forward, to risk it all when he sees the bushes behind Ed move. It’s not a huge shake, just the ruffling of a couple of leaves followed by the sudden sparkle of Shiva’s eyes. She’s low on the ground, eyes fixed on her prey, ears pulled back as she bears her teeth. She’s about to pounce on Ed.

“LET HER GO,” Ezekiel demands, his voice strong to mask any sound Shiva might do.

Ed chuckles, his hand tightening on the knife which he pushes harder against her skin. He probably thinks he has won and that he’s finally going to kill Carol. He couldn’t be more wrong. “Fuck you.”

In a flash of orange and black, Shiva pounces on him, her big paws wrapping around his shoulders as her jaws dig into the flesh of his neck. Blood spurs from Ed’s neck, sliding down his neck and soaking his shirt. Ed’s eyes are wide open, panicked as he tries to battle to get Shiva off him. “HELP! HELP!”

Shiva holds on though, digging her claws in his shoulders and chest, pawning at him and leaving back rows of red and shredded cloth. “HELP! SHOOT HER! SHOOT!”

Behind him, Ezekiel hears the surprised reaction of both men who had no idea Shiva had been on the prowl. Had he not known about it, he would 

“Fuck!” He hears the white man exclaim. “That’s a fucking tiger!”

“Holy shit, man!”

Seeing that Shiva has pulled Ed off Carol, Ezekiel quickly rushes to her side. His knees crack on the ground as he kneels beside her, his hands hovering over her face as his eyes take in the damage Ed has left behind. Knowing that the last thing he wants is for Carol to come back to see Ed being devoured, Ezekiel gently picks her up and cradles her against his chest. Carol lets out a groan of pain but he hums softly to her. “I’ve got you, my love.”

He turns to walk back the way he came, passing by the two men who are still looking astonished and scared at the sight of Shiva. “Do not hurt her,” Ezekiel warns them. “Shiva is ours. If any pain comes her way you will deal with me, understood.” 

He will have to thank Shiva later, once she’s done with drowning Ed’s screams for help. Without her, he probably would have had a harder time reaching Carol. He shivers at the thought of what would have happened. He can’t dwell on it, not know, now when all he cares about is taking his wife back to Sophia just like he’d promised, and making sure that Carol knows she will never have to deal with Ed and his violence again.

“I’ve got you, my love.”

**  
Carol  
**

She wakes with a start, something that she quickly regrets when every bone in her body complains of the movement. Her mind and body are hyper-aware, trying to find the man who had just been beating her. It’s not the first time she wakes up after having been beaten and Ed has always been there, ready to beat her again and again. She wants to flee, to run as fast as he can so that he will not reach her but her body hurts too much. Her chest rises and falls quickly as she looks around to both tries and figures out where she is and if there is anyone around her. Instead of trying to move again, Carol lays as still as possible on the bed of what she quickly realizes is the Winnebago. She slowly relaxes as she notes that Ed is not there. 

She raises a hand slowly and presses her fingers against her face. She can feel the swollen skin of her eye and cheek and the fat lip Ed left behind. There’s a cut on the bridge of her nose that she touches hesitantly and which has been patched up as best as possible. She raises her other arm but winces again. A quick look with the eye that she is able to see through shows her that there is a dark purple imprint of Ed’s hand on her arm along with more than a couple of bruises. She rotates her arm and sighs in relief to see that it has been popped back into place.

How did she get here?

Slowly, and with more hisses that she’s ready to admit, Carol moves to sit on the bed. Her ribs are burning but she’s sure that they aren’t broken. Taking a moment to simply breathe without moving much, Carol looks around the place. There’s not much that tells her how she went from being beneath Ed to back in the camp but she’s grateful to be where she is. 

She carefully incorporates herself, wincing once more when she feels the muscle in her leg contract. “Shit,” She mumbles under her breath before gently kneading it until the muscle has somehow relaxed. She tries to walk once again and smiles at herself when her leg doesn’t give her that much of an issue.

Carol stumbles from the back of the RV to the front and stops in her tracks. Draped over the passenger’s seat is a leather coat she knows well. Her legs start trembling as she moves forward to reach it, her fingers caress the rich leather lovingly. Minding her still stiff arm, Carol takes the coat and pulls it towards her face, taking in a deep sniff of the scent; the warmth of the leather, the traces of aftershave, and the scent of the man she has loved for the past years. 

The last time she had seen the coat, Ezekiel had been wearing it as he left their side to go in search of Shiva. Now it was in her hands, pressed against her chest. It could only mean one thing; Ezekiel was back.

As fast as her aching body would let her, Carol flings the door open and stumbles out of the RV. It doesn’t take her long to find another piece of evidence that Ezekiel is near; Shiva. The big tigress quickly stands on her paws, her tail swishing back and forth as she lets out that sound Carol has learned to love.

“Shiva,” she whispers. She knows Shiva can recognize her but she still offers her hand for her to sniff. Languidly, Shiva approaches to press her nose to her hand before passing her whole face against Carol’s hand and forearm. Sometimes Shiva acts like a big house cat and it always brings a chuckle to Carol whenever she does. This time it’s no different.

“Hi, girl.” She smooths her hand down Shiva’s neck and grins when she feels the strength of the tiger. “Where is daddy?” She asks her.

Shiva chuffs again before passing behind Carol, her whole body pressing against Carol’s backside, then to her side to guide her. She moves beside her, never separating too much. Carol knows that the tigress is guarding her, has probably been guarding her for however long she has been alone. Ezekiel must have given her the task. 

Is Ed still around? Is that why he’s left Shiva to stand guard? She walks just a tiny bit faster, pushing her body to what felt like her limit to try and reach the group faster. 

As they near the center of the camp, the voices start filtering through. She can hear men and women talking and judging by the sun already making its way down towards the horizon Carol knows they must be having dinner. She wants to walk faster but her body is simply too sore, so she matches Shiva’s pace.

Carol knows they’ve spotted her because the camp grows silent, sitting around the fire looking at her with shocked expressions. She’s never had that effect on them so she knows their reaction is because of Shiva. A streak of protectiveness rushes through her, like a mother defending her young, and makes her smooth a hand over the tigress’s hair. She’s watched the tiger grow from a young and hurt tiger, to the fierce beast she is now, and she knows she would put herself between the animal and harm's way.

Before she can reassure them that Shiva will not attack them, Sophia’s face appears in front of her. Her hazel eyes sparkle with happiness to see her up and about before she cries out. “Mama!”

“Sophia! The tiger!” Lori calls out to the young girl but it does nothing to half her sprint towards her mother.

“It’s alright,” Carol assures her as she raises a hand to prevent anyone from trying to stop her daughter. When Sophia slams into her, Carol bites back her cry of pain and simply wraps her arms around her little girl. She thought she would never see her again, that the sight of her running away would be the last time she would ever see her. It is a blessing to be able to hold Sophia against her, to feel her skinny arms wrap around her waist, and hear her declare how much she loves her.

“I love you too, Soph,” she tells her before giving her a tight squeeze. 

Besides her, she feels Shiva press her face to Sophia’s side which makes Sophia giggle slightly before turning to wrap her arms around the animal. “Don’t worry, Shiva. I love you too.”

“Is your daddy-“

Sophia doesn’t let her finish before she lets out a gasp, clasps her hand, and stars pulling. “He’s here, Mama! He found us! He saved you!”

From where Sophia had appeared, another figure quickly rises. The air rushes out of her lungs as she recognizes him right away. How could she not when he was the love of her life? Her chin quivers as her eyes fill with tears. He’s there, really there. She hadn’t made up his coat or his scent, and she hadn’t imagined Shiva either. He had really made it back to them.

Her tears quickly fall down her cheeks which makes Ezekiel rush forward. He is soon embracing both Sophia and her, wrapping them up in his strong arms, cradling both of them against his chest. She can feel his heart beating in his chest, feel his breathing run through his lungs, and slowly come out, feel his warmth enveloping her. Carol finally feels truly safe. She’d been chilled all this time and she hasn’t even realized it. 

“You’re really here.” She mumbles against his shoulder. 

“I’m here.” He whispers against her hair. His warm breath spreads over her and makes her root against him even more, aching to be consumed by his presence. “I should have never left you.”

She clings to him harder, nuzzling his neck with her nose. “I knew you’d find us.”

Ezekiel pulls back enough to look down at her. She can see both the happiness to have his family together again and the turmoil of seeing her in physical pain. His hand tenderly cups her cheek and she leans against it, closing her eye for a second, taking in his touch. “How? How did you-“

“It was Shiva. Shiva and Sophia,” he interrupts. “We arrived at camp with Glenn’s guidance. Sophia told me where you were and Shiva found you. I am the one that did the least of all.”

It’s Sophia the one that chimes in, her little freckled face peering up at her parents with all the love her body can hold. She gives them a big grin, her nose scrunching you as the sun catches her eyes. “No, daddy.” She says before attempting to shield herself from the sun with his shadow. “You brought Mama home. You did that, not me or Shiva. It was all you!”

Ezekiel gives a small snort before pulling his daughter closer and pressing a kiss to the top of her dirty blonde hair. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“My hero.” Carol playfully teases, turning her gaze from her daughter to her husband. She’s missed him so much; waking up every day to the reality that her husband was missing had almost emotionally killed her. She’d missed him every minute of every day and now that she finally has him back she doesn’t plan to let him go. 

Trying not to wince as she raises her previously dislocated arm, she cups his cheek like she’s done so many times before. His full beard scratches her skin as she buries the tip of her fingers in it, sliding down until she reaches his chin and lovingly guides his face towards her lips. “I love you.” She whispers against his lips before she kisses him.

She feels Ezekiel’s arm settle on her hip then slide around her waist before he pulls her towards him. She can feel the tenderness in his hold, the hesitation as he attempts to not hurt her. Her heart thunders in her chest as she deepens the kiss just enough to let him know how much she truly loves him.

Sophia’s muffled giggle eventually pulls them apart. She loves seeing and hearing the happiness her daughter feels, even if just that morning they had been close to losing everything. Carol doesn’t quite remember what happened after Ed had beat her, but she hopes to never see him again.

Unable to stop the wince of pain as her body reminds her that her ribs are bruised, Carol lets out a little grunt before once more leaning against Ezekiel, sagging against him in relief. “I hope we never see him again.” She admits under her breath as Ezekiel, ever worried about her, guides her towards the logs and chairs they’ve set out around the campfire. 

“Worry not, my love. You will never see him again. He will never hurt you.”

“I know you mean well,” Carol promises. “And it’s not that I don’t believe you, but that’s a hard thing to promise.”

With Ezekiel’s help, she is able to slowly lower her aching body on the chair. She grunts as her body relaxes on the chair, an arm wrapping around her waist to hold her ribs and nurse her shoulder. She knows she’s a sight to be seen but it still brings out a chuckle when she notices the perplexed look that Lori is sending her way. On one side, Shiva settles on the ground, ready to continue her watch over the woman she considers a mother. On the other side, Ezekiel and Sophia settle on a log where her daughter quickly Beatles against her father, her face tilted towards Carol as if she wants to keep her in her line of sight.

“That is a promise I can absolutely keep.” Ezekiel insists. “Edward Peletier will never bother you again.”

“Zeke-“

“He’s actually telling the truth, Carol.” T-Dog chimes in. Carol can’t quite place his tone of voice but it sounds to her like he’s trying to decide sure whether to be amazed or completely terrified at what he saw. A quick glance his way tells her exactly why he can’t decide. He’s sending looks towards Shiva who continues to lounge by her side. In fact, now that she looks at everyone, they all seem to be staring in Shiva’s direction. 

“What exactly happened?”

“An ambush.” Ezekiel and Sophia reply at the same time. It’s not a new development, at least not to Carol. They’d been in sync since the moment the newly formed family had gone to the water park; Sophia has wanted to slide down the highest water slide but her fear had stopped her from actually going on until Ezekiel had offered to go on with her. From that moment on, they’d been inseparable. Sophia had quickly become a daddy’s girl and Ezekiel had been wrapped around her finger ever since.

“The tiger just came out of nowhere. She pulled Ed back by the neck. Her jaws man! It was insane! She got him down faster than we could have and then Ed never for up again.”

“Cool!” Little Carl chummed from beside his mother and Shane. 

“I still say she’s dangerous and should be either locked up or chained.” Lori declares after sending a look towards Carl.

“She is dangerous because she’s a tiger.” Sophia agrees with her. “But she’s intelligent and kind. She wouldn’t hurt any of us.”

“She’s a tiger-” Lori states as if no one had realized that Shiva wasn’t just a big cat. 

“Who is used to human interaction.” Ezekiel interrupts. “We raised her at the zoo. She would never attack anyone in her streak.”

“She’s gotta eat a ton.” Andrea theorizes from her place beside Amy. “How are we going to keep her fed?”

“She knows how to hunt, she’s proved it today. We must encourage her to follow her instinct. In the meantime, I will help secure her food.” She hears her husband promise. 

Carol can’t help but detect the hint of worry in his voice. She understands right away why he is worrying; if they can’t accept Shiva then they’ll have to leave but if they leave that means their family will be vulnerable without the group’s support and protection. She won’t have it. She’s done with others walking over her and those she loves. Shiva stays and so do they. 

“We will be fine,” she assures them. “I know she seems scary and dangerous, and that’s because she is a semi-wild animal but she can also offer us protection. No one will want to mess with our camp if we have her around.”

She hopes her words are enough to convince them to allow Shiva to stay, or at least start considering the possibility. She knows having a tiger nearby is shocking and she doesn’t expect them to accept her right sway, but she hopes at least they’ll try. 

Turning towards Ezekiel, Carol leans towards him to whisper. “Can you take me tomorrow?”

“Where, my love?”

“To... where Shiva took care of Ed.” 

She knows Ezekiel will not judge her for needing to see what remains of her ex-husband. Her husband is aware of all that Ed had put her through, he’s been privy to the late-night nightmares as well as the traumatic memories she’s had to work through. He, more than anyone, knows what she needs. 

Ezekiel doesn’t let her down and gives her an encouraging smile. “Of course. He’s never going to hurt you again, but I will take you there so you can be sure of it.”

“Thank you.”

The rest of the dinner they spend it as a reunited family, smiling, talking, and constantly touching to reassure one another that they really are together. The group continues to send worried glances towards Shiva, but at least they don’t voice any concern. Eventually, they retire to the RV after Dale insists that they use it until she feels better. She feels a little guilty but after the events of that morning, she’s not quite ready to sleep with only a tent as a protection, so she graciously accepts before slowly making their way to the vehicle.

By the time Sophia finally doses off, and Shiva seems to be off to a dreamland of her own, Carol and Ezekiel lay side by side in silence. Though her arm hurts when she raises it, it doesn’t stop her from reaching over to caress his cheek lovingly. A couple of tears slide down her temple taking her completely by surprise and falling into the mattress to never be seen again.

“Don’t cry,” Ezekiel begs in a whisper before he gives her hip a tiny squeeze.

She sniffles too try and compose herself but ends up taking in a deep shuddering breath. “I thought I would never see you again,” Carol admits. “I was so afraid that something had happened. Each day I thought you’d come back to us and then when you wouldn’t-“

“It’s in the past,” Ezekiel interrupts. He presses his forehead against hers, their noses bumping as their breath intermingles. “I’m right beside you and I never intend to leave you again.”

Her chin quivers as she quickly nods because she truly believes him. She knows he would never leave her and Sophia’s side without a fight but she also knows this world has taken every decision out of their hands. They are in constant danger at any given moment. A wrong decision could end with one of them bitten or shredded to pieces. Having spent the last couple of weeks away from him, Carol knows she never wants to do it again.

She tries to fight against the flood of tears by closing her eye and tries to prevent herself from feeling even more helpless than she’d felt in Ed’s hands but she knows it’s a lost battle. 

“Hey, baby, I’m right here,” Ezekiel whispers before pushing himself forward and pulling her as tight to him as he can without hurting her. “I’ve got you. You are safe.“

“I know,” she whimpers. 

He presses a kiss to her forehead then to the tip of her nose. “You can cry if you want to and no one will ever know. I promise never to tell.”

She lets out a little chuckle despite her tears before finally letting the fears and worry she has been holding back for the past weeks run through her. She silently sobs, her hand holding tight to his shirt as she presses her face to his chest. To soothe her, Ezekiel starts to hum a song to her, the same song he’s always used to calm her after nightmares and flashbacks while threading his fingers through her shoulder-length hair. 

What would she ever do without him? She doesn’t know and she doesn’t care to find out.

When she’s finally cried all she has left to cry, and her face aches a little from the strength of her tears, she pulls back a little to look at him through the only eye she can still open.

“Thank you for saving me.” She whispers. She can see he’s about to remind her it had been a group effort, but she shakes her head and repeats. “Thank you for saving me, for loving us, for bringing Shiva back. Thank you.”

“I would do it all again in a heartbeat, my love.” Ezekiel’s eyes tell Carol what he is not lying, something she already knows quite well. “Now relax, let yourself rest. Do not fret about tomorrow for I shall be by your side.”

Carol gives a small nod before cuddling against him. She knows that despite how scary the world is, how much they have to do to keep safe, their little family will prevail. 

Tomorrow Ezekiel will take her to see whatever is left of Ed so that she will finally be rid of the pain and suffering, so that she will finally be free. Tomorrow will mark a new beginning, a new chapter of their lives. She’s not afraid, for the first time in a long time she is at peace for she knows that no matter what happens no one will tear them apart; not the walkers, not any person and certainly not Ed.

For the first time in a very long time, Carol sleeps through the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Good? Bad? Too many POVs?


End file.
